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It’s no trick! We have a new treat to offer you. Soon you'll be able to place a hold, check out and take home a Wi-Fi Hot Spot. Yes! It’s true.

Today’s families rely on the Internet for many reasons, including student access to online homework and access to the many digital resources made available by the Library. But not everybody has home access.

We have 100 new devices and you can check them out for seven days at a time. We believe these devices will meet a very real demand and supports our mission of making technology accessible to all.

Our mission is to provide equal access to information and opportunity to all the residents of Jefferson County, and when our community voted to support the 2015 mill levy, we became enabled to improve our ability to provide that access to new and emerging technologies and increase digital literacy countywide. [The crowd cheers!]

In addition to the 100 hot spots, we’ve added ten WiFi enabled tablets that are now in circulation at Edgewater and Wheat Ridge Libraries.

We’ve spent the past eight months soliciting input from the community, library users and staff to define a vision for the new Columbine Library. The input we’ve received has given us great insights into the kinds of services and amenities Jefferson County residents would like to see. We’ve gathered that feedback in a Community Input Report.

Our architects have taken that feedback and developed an exciting design concept that will transform the Columbine Library into a vibrant and highly functional space worthy of the modern library.

Jefferson County Public Library (JCPL) is inviting local area residents to preview the proposed design for the 2017 Columbine Library remodel at two Community Update Meetings at the Columbine Library.

Are you still figuring out how you'll decide on Election 2016 issues? These issues and candidates are sure to make an impact on our lives, so it’s a good idea to do some research. And since “research” is in our DNA, we vote you look to the Library for help.

Each of our locations has an area devoted to election materials. We invite you to stop by and review the materials. These informative pamphlets are free for you to take and discuss in the comfort of your home. If you prefer the digital world, check out our Election Guide. Our expert researchers have collected their favorite resources for learning more about election issues, including Colorado and Jeffco-specific election information.

In case you were wondering, this year Standley Lake, Evergreen, and Columbine libraries are 24-Hour Ballot Drop Box locations. Additionally, Standley Lake, Belmar and Columbine libraries are Early Voting and Election Day Voter Service and Polling Centers. The Lakewood Library will again serve as Voter Service and Polling Center on Election Day. You can get more election information on the Jefferson County website.

Hamilton, the smash Broadway musical phenomenon and winner of 11 Tony Awards and a Pultizer Prize has history and musical fans everywhere still buzzing with excitement. The PBS Arts Fall Festival brings the making of the pop culture hit to life when it kicks off the PBS series, Great Performances, hosted by Lin-Manuel Miranda, later this month (airs on Rocky Mountain PBS on October 21, 9 p.m.).

In many ways, this musical is redefining how an entire generation of young fans is learning about history through unprecedented hip-hop musical performances. You can watch a portion of the documentary and join the cast as they visit historic locations. You'll also enjoy interviews with prominent personalities ranging from musicians and politicians, to entertainers like Jimmy Fallon – and even President Barack Obama.

The Belmar Library’s Teen Advisory Board is proud to be joining forces with Rocky Mountain PBS and Green Mountain High School’s Performing Arts Department on Wednesday, October 19 to present a sneak preview portion of the documentary that takes us behind the creation of the show and how Miranda adapted Hamilton’s story into musical theater.

We kick the night off with performances from Green Mountain High School students, followed by a costume contest, door prizes, and then the main event - the 45-minute preview of the documentary. This is your chance to see it before anyone else!

The event is free and open to the public, but we do ask that you register so we know you’re coming!

About the PBS Arts Fall Festival: PBS premieres its sixth annual PBS Arts Fall Festival on Friday, October 21, with host Lin-Manuel Miranda, creator and star of the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning musical Hamilton. The PBS Arts Fall Festival, which last year reached more than nine million viewers, is a cornerstone of the Friday primetime lineup, underscoring PBS’ ongoing commitment to give audiences the best seats in the house to watch arts performances on air and online. The festival presents diverse artists and performances from across the country, including programs from GREAT PERFORMANCES, LIVE FROM LINCOLN CENTER, and more. Most programs will be available online at video.pbs.org/ after their broadcast premiere. For more, visit pbs.org/pressroom.

The first book was written thousands of years ago. The first book checked out at the Standley Lake Library was 25 years ago. Perhaps a strange parallel, but it’s nonfiction nonetheless.

Lorraine G. was there on opening day, August 17, 1991. As a true bookworm and young mother, working part time at the library was a perfect situation. It’s not easy to cram a quarter century of memories into one interview, but here are a few things Lorraine shared.

Opening day was really special. The check-out line extended halfway through the building. Of course, back then everything was done by hand, so things progressed slower. There was one (badly working) check-out station, but most patrons waited in line. They were thrilled to have a shiny new library staffed with terrific people. Lorraine, along with everyone else, is thankful for how the technology of identifying library materials has progressed from stamps to barcodes to RFID (radio-frequency identification).

Here’s something else that’s changed. There were no holds back in the day. Hold on, what’s that? It’s true; however, there were “rental books” available for a charge.

When you walk into a Jeffco Library today, any one of our staff is available to answer questions and help. It was different back then, as Lorraine recalls. She is very clear that she was NOT a librarian, but rather a person who worked in the library. There was a clear division between librarians, circulation, researchers, etc. Staff members had distinctly separate functions and everything was done by the books (pun intended). Gladly, those lines have become blurred over the years!

Standley Lake is a hidden gem in the JCPL system. Tucked away in a quiet neighborhood, this location has become a mainstay for patrons young and old. Lorraine fondly tells about one gentleman who visited the library often and befriended most of the staff. On his 90th birthday, his library family sent him a birthday card.

In addition, the children’s area was (and still is) a very special place. One year, a very creative librarian built a giant doghouse for kids to walk through as part of their Summer Reading program. What a wonderful way to get kids excited for reading!

Lorraine was on staff at Standley Lake for 22 years, and now volunteers once a week. You can take the girl out of the library, but you can’t take the library out of the girl. Here’s the best part of this story: After all these years, Lorraine remains very close to the people with whom she worked at Standley Lake. They even get together often for a lively game of Bunko!

Lorraine’s new title is “grandma” and she’s thrilled to introduce the joys of the Standley Lake Library to her next generation. Thank you to Lorraine and all the wonderful staff at Standley Lake who have made this a special neighborhood/community place for 25 years. Here’s to the next 25 years, and beyond.

Congratulations, Jefferson County, for reading a marathon of 27,564728 minutes this summer! We are proud to celebrate this accomplishment and recognize the achievement of the many Jefferson County Public School students who participated in Go Read! Go! and read to support their school. The Jefferson County Public Library’s Board of Trustees generously donated five, $300 prizes to be awarded to the top school in each category that had the most “finishers” compared to school enrollment. A “finisher” is any reader who read and logged a minimum of 8 hours between June 1 and July 31.

Winning schools will receive their $300 Visa cards and a trophy at a school assembly in September. Prizes must be used to supplement any literacy-based project or program at the school. Congratulations to everyone who participated in Go Read! Go! and to our winning schools!

ALL READERS:

34,793 people registered for Summer Reading.

13,627 finished the program by meeting the minimum reading goal (39%).

27,564,728 minutes were read.

ALL READERS AFFILIATED WITH SCHOOL:

22,245 of the total 34,793 readers affiliated with a school (That’s a whopping 64%!).

These readers account for 14,426,380 minutes read (52.3%).

13,627 readers met the minimum reading goal (61.2%).

ELIGIBLE READERS AFFILIATED WITH SCHOOL CONTEST:

For the school contest, only preschool through grade 12 students were eligible to have their minutes count for their school.

17,448 Jefferson County Public School preschool – grade 12 students registered for Summer Reading (50.1%).

9,594 finished the program by reading and logging a minimum of 8 hours (54.9%).

14,442,452 minutes were read for a school (52.3%).

Final School Standings:

Rank

School Name

% of finishers to enrollment

PRESCHOOL

1

Warder Preschool

20.00%

2

Kendrick Lakes Preschool

14.71%

3

Van Arsdale Preschool

9.38%

4

Wheat Ridge Head Start

8.33%

5

Foothills Preschool

7.14%

6

11th Avenue Preschool

6.67%

7

Pleasant View Preschool

6.25%

7

UCC Preschool

6.25%

7

Westgate Preschool

6.25%

7

Wilmot Preschool

6.25%

8

Bergen Meadow Preschool

6.02%

9

Coronado Preschool

5.56%

10

Jeffco Open Preschool

5.26%

11

Stott Preschool

4.69%

12

Meiklejohn Preschool

4.41%

13

Pennington Preschool

4.00%

14

Lawrence Preschool

3.70%

15

Secrest Preschool

3.66%

16

Kendallvue Preschool

3.57%

17

Patterson Preschool

3.33%

18

Shaffer Preschool

3.13%

18

Vivian Preschool

3.13%

19

Fitzmorris Preschool

3.06%

20

Mt. Carbon Preschool

3.00%

21

Patterson Head Start

2.78%

22

Parr Preschool

2.75%

23

Anderson Preschool

2.67%

24

Stony Creek Preschool

2.60%

25

Irwin Preschool

2.50%

26

Jefferson County Head Start

2.27%

27

Columbine Preschool

1.83%

28

Foster Preschool

1.47%

29

Leawood Preschool

1.43%

30

Litz Preschool

1.25%

30

West Jefferson Preschool

1.25%

11th Avenue Head Start

0.00%

Adams Preschool

**

Blue Heron Preschool

**

Daniels Head Start

0.00%

Edgewater Preschool

0.00%

Green Mountain Head Start

0.00%

Lasley Head Start

0.00%

Lumberg Preschool

0.00%

Molholm Preschool

0.00%

Peiffer Preschool

0.00%

Sheridan Green Preschool

0.00%

Slater Preschool

0.00%

Stein Preschool

0.00%

Stevens Preschool

0.00%

Welchester Preschool

0.00%

Witt Preschool

0.00%

ELEMENTARY

1

Pleasant View Elementary

56.73%

2

Warder Elementary

24.10%

3

Hackberry Hill Elementary

23.80%

4

Coal Creek K-8

23.78%

5

Mitchell Elementary

23.52%

6

Sierra Elementary

21.83%

7

Devinny Elementary

21.28%

8

Red Rocks Elementary

19.69%

9

Stober Elementary

18.13%

10

Kyffin Elementary

17.80%

11

Van Arsdale Elementary

17.11%

12

Marshdale Elementary

16.67%

13

Coronado Elementary

16.48%

14

Bergen Valley 3-5

16.33%

15

Ralston Elementary

16.29%

16

Bergen Meadow K-2

16.00%

17

Fairmount Elementary

15.98%

18

Wilmot Elementary

15.87%

19

Rooney Ranch Elementary

15.56%

20

Elk Creek Elementary

15.41%

21

Hutchinson Elementary

15.13%

22

Kendrick Lakes Elementary

14.22%

23

Ute Meadows Elementary

14.16%

24

Normandy Elementary

13.97%

25

Prospect Valley Elementary

13.41%

26

Weber Elementary

13.40%

27

Westridge Elementary

13.23%

28

Little Elementary

12.37%

29

Parmalee Elementary

12.08%

30

Maple Grove Elementary

12.07%

31

Governor's Ranch Elementary

11.76%

32

Stott Elementary

11.67%

33

Shelton Elementary

11.56%

34

Peck Elementary

11.30%

35

Belmar Elementary

11.25%

36

Meiklejohn Elementary

10.96%

37

Campbell Elementary

10.79%

37

Welchester Elementary

10.79%

38

Bradford Primary K-3

10.67%

39

Green Gables Elementary

10.53%

39

Leawood Elementary

10.53%

40

West Woods Elementary

10.46%

41

Shaffer Elementary

10.43%

42

Vanderhoof Elementary

9.36%

43

Lukas Elementary

9.28%

44

Bear Creek K-8

9.22%

45

Foster Elementary

9.19%

46

Lawrence Elementary

9.12%

47

Edgewater Elementary

9.11%

48

Columbine Hills Elementary

9.09%

49

Patterson Elementary

9.07%

50

Powderhorn Elementary

9.06%

51

Fremont Elementary

8.60%

52

Dutch Creek Elementary

8.54%

53

Green Mountain Elementary

8.45%

54

Glennon Heights Elementary

8.23%

55

West Jefferson Elementary

8.13%

56

Arvada K-8

8.06%

57

Stony Creek Elementary

8.02%

58

South Lakewood Elementary

7.81%

59

Fitzmorris Elementary

7.69%

60

Bradford Intermediate 4-6

7.43%

61

Colorow Elementary

6.85%

62

Blue Heron Elementary

6.80%

63

Adams Elementary

6.67%

64

Peiffer Elementary

6.44%

65

Mortensen Preschool

6.25%

66

Slater Elementary

6.13%

67

Kullerstrand Elementary

5.78%

68

Foothills Elementary

5.43%

69

Semper Elementary

5.30%

70

Thomson Elementary

5.29%

71

Lumberg Elementary

5.15%

72

Parr Elementary

4.94%

73

Stevens Elementary

4.74%

74

Westgate Elementary

4.73%

75

Secrest Elementary

4.62%

76

Kendallvue Elementary

4.60%

77

Lasley Elementary

4.33%

78

Pennington Elementary

4.24%

79

Vivian Elementary

3.89%

80

Witt Elementary

3.71%

81

Wilmore Davis Elementary

3.66%

82

Deane Elementary

3.47%

83

Eiber Elementary

3.38%

84

Stein Elementary (O'Connell)

2.89%

85

Allendale Elementary

2.80%

86

Swanson Elementary

2.44%

87

Ryan Elementary

1.50%

88

Sheridan Green Elementary

1.36%

89

Molholm Elementary

0.80%

MIDDLE

1

Oberon Middle

10.67%

2

Drake Middle

9.59%

3

Bell Middle

9.07%

4

Evergreen Middle

8.69%

5

Ken Caryl Middle

8.36%

6

Dunstan Middle

6.87%

7

North Arvada Middle

6.62%

8

West Jefferson Middle

6.47%

9

Everitt Middle

6.45%

10

Wayne Carle Middle

5.82%

11

Mortensen Elementary

5.16%

12

Deer Creek Middle

5.04%

13

Creighton Middle

4.29%

14

Falcon Bluffs Middle

3.78%

15

Carmody Middle

3.75%

16

Summit Ridge Middle

3.42%

17

Mandalay Middle

2.14%

HIGH

1

Jefferson Jr/Sr High

6.70%

2

Wheat Ridge High

5.07%

3

Arvada West High

3.26%

4

Green Mountain High

3.18%

4

Ralston Valley High

3.12%

5

Lakewood High

2.88%

6

Alameda Jr/Sr High

2.83%

7

Pomona High

2.26%

8

Conifer High

2.18%

9

Golden High

2.16%

10

Columbine High

2.13%

11

Dakota Ridge High

2.06%

12

Evergreen High

1.81%

13

Arvada High

1.69%

14

Bear Creek High

1.67%

15

Standley Lake High

1.26%

16

Chatfield Senior High

1.23%

OPTION / CHARTER

1

Addenbrooke Classical Academy

39.52%

2

Compass Montessori (Golden)

36.00%

3

Dennison Elementary

25.00%

4

Golden View Classical

18.60%

5

Compass Montessori (Wheat Ridge)

18.30%

6

Free Horizon Montessori

18.00%

7

Excel Academy K-8

14.86%

8

Woodrow Wilson Academy

13.80%

9

Montessori Peaks

13.15%

10

Jefferson Academy

12.83%

11

Two Roads

12.67%

12

MountainÂ Phoenix

12.00%

13

Rocky Mtn Academy

10.79%

14

Jeffco Open

10.04%

15

Devereux Cleo Wallace

9.90%

16

Mt. Carbon Elementary

8.72%

17

D'Evelyn Jr/Sr

8.33%

18

Manning

7.76%

19

Connections Learning Ctr

5.71%

20

Jefferson Hills

4.00%

21

Moore Middle

3.33%

22

Collegiate Academy Of CO

3.13%

23

RockyÂ MtnÂ DeafÂ School

2.78%

24

Fletcher Miller Special

2.22%

24

Sobesky Academy

2.22%

25

Brady Exploration School

1.52%

26

McLain High School

1.03%

27

Doral Academy

0.65%

Betty Marler Youth Svcs Ctr

0.00%

Mountview Youth Ctr

0.00%

New America

0.00%

Warren Tech (both)

0.00%

Lincoln Academy

**

Shiloh House

**

** Enrollment data unavailble or not provided.

Contest rules:

Open to Jefferson County Public Schools only, eligible to win $300 for their school.

One school in each category with the highest percentage of finishers compared to enrollment receives a Visa card presented at a school assembly in September 2016.

Preschool / Head Start

Elementary

Middle

High

Jeffco Option & Charter

Only summer reading participants between the ages of 4 and 18 are eligible to affiliate with a school. Sorry parents and teachers – this one’s for the students to do and for you to cheer them on!

A finisher is someone who reads and logs the recommended minimum reading goal (8 hours).

In the event of a tie, prizes will be awarded to the school with the highest total average minutes per reader.

Prizes are intended to be used to support literacy based projects, programs and materials.

Winning schools are required to share a photo and report on how the school used the award by October 31, 2016.

Special thanks to the Jefferson County Public Library Board of Trustees for their generous donation of prizes!

Always wanted to check out Colorado’s 42 state parks? Now you can. We're excited to now offer Colorado State Parks passes through our Culture Pass and Lucky Day program. You can read the nitty gritty details on how the passes work and how you can get your hands on them, but here’s what you need to know:

Valid for all 42 Colorado state parks (Does not include national parks or national monuments)

JCPL, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Colorado Department of Education and the State Library are pleased to partner in bringing the Check Out Colorado State Parks program to 286 libraries throughout Colorado.

In case you’re wondering what’s behind this program, it not only provides tremendous learning experiences and encourages healthy activities, it gives everyone the opportunity to experience Colorado’s amazing state parks and all they have to offer.

We expect these passes to be popular, but don’t despair. We’ve set it up so some are reserveable online and they’re also available as Lucky Day items on a first-come, first-available basis.

We'd love to see your photos in the parks - share it on Instagram @jeffcolibrary #CheckoutColorado.

Where can you learn professional business, software, technology and creative skills without going to school? If you answered Jefferson County Public Library, you’d be right.

We are proud to welcome Lynda.com to JCPL’s ever-growing lineup of online resources. Lynda.com hosts an extensive library of engaging, top-quality online courses taught by recognized industry experts, including more than more than 4,200 courses and over 130,000 videos that support personal and professional development. Topics include leadership and business skills, computer software programs, website development, 3D and animation, video editing, music theory, design, photography and more.

You can access any of the Lynda.com tutorials online, from within the library or from any home, work, or school computer. To use the new service, just log in through jeffcolibrary.org, create a Lynda.com account (which only requires a name and email address) and then access tutorials, watch videos, create playlists, download course files and bookmark pages. The service keeps track of your individual learning paths and is available on mobile devices through web browsers so you can take the classes on the road with you.

Way to go, Jeffco! We have officially met the halfway point of our Summer Reading marathon goal of 26.2 million minutes. While we know this is a lofty and ambitious goal, we believe you can make it happen. We are already ahead of where we were last year, both in registered readers and minutes.

Keep reading! Keep signing up your friends and family! Keep logging your minutes! We still have plenty of water bottles (and sippy cups for the under 3 crowd!). There’s also a free Chipotle kid’s meal or burrito for teens (BOGO for adults), and a free ice McDonald’s ice cream cone when you hit the hallway point.

And when you reach your end goal, you’ll have earned your free book!

Remember – everything you read counts! Books, audiobooks, ebooks, menus, magazines, business reports – even cereal boxes! You read more than you probably think each day so make the minutes count!

So let’s do it. Let’s keep going! Let’s zoom pass last year’s 18 million minutes and finish this marathon!